What is Severe Gastroparesis?
Gastroparesis is a condition in which the muscles in the stomach don’t work at full capacity or at all, which means that the stomach never fully empties, causing a range of digestion problems. There are many possible reasons that someone might develop gastroparesis, such as a complication of diabetes or a surgery, but there are many instances where there isn’t a known cause.
Additionally, there are some medications, such as opioids, antidepressants, allergy medications, and high blood pressure medications, can cause a similar type of slowing of the stomach muscles. While these medications aren’t gastroparesis itself, they can make existing gastroparesis even worse.
Although it can be difficult to tell for sure what is causing gastroparesis, a damaged vagus nerve, which is the nerve that sends signals to the stomach to contract, could cause gastroparesis. One of the ways that this can come into play is if the vagus nerve is damaged by diabetes. The vagus nerve could also be damaged by surgery.
Additionally, there are certain risk factors to developing gastroparesis, including diabetes and surgery to the stomach or esophagus. Infection from a virus or an underactive thyroid could increase the likelihood of developing gastroparesis. Scleroderma, which is a connective tissue disease, can also be a risk factor. Nervous system diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis, can also lead to gastroparesis.
Symptoms of Severe Gastroparesis
There are several symptoms of gastroparesis that are very common, including nausea that leads to vomiting, abdominal pain and bloating, acid reflux, and loss of appetite. All of these symptoms make sense, too, when you think about how food is no longer being moved out of the stomach, causing the stomach to remain full. In fact, some people will also experience a feeling of fullness after eating just a few bites. Because of the vomiting and the difficulties that people with severe gastroparesis have with eating, some people will also experience dehydration and weight loss due to malnutrition.
It’s also possible to have changes in blood sugar levels because vomiting and a lack of desire and ability to eat causes drops in the amount of nutrients that the body is able to absorb. This can be a potentially serious complication, too, because the rapid changes in blood sugar levels can make existing diabetes worse.
Because much of the food that people eat is not digested properly, it’s also possible for people with severe gastroparesis to develop bezoars, which are hardened masses of undigested food in the stomach. This is especially true for people who go a long period of time without having their condition diagnosed and treated.
Treatment for Severe Gastroparesis
Treatment of severe gastroparesis can be difficult, but one of the first courses of action that many doctors will take is to try to treat the underlying condition that’s causing the gastroparesis. For instance, people who have diabetes might have gastroparesis caused by the diabetes, so it makes the most sense to work on getting the diabetes under control.
There are also lifestyle changes that people can make to increase the likelihood that they’ll be able to lessen their symptoms even if they can’t get rid of gastroparesis. For instance, eating smaller amounts at a time can lessen the likelihood of some of the symptoms like acid reflux and vomiting. People with this disorder should also make sure that they thoroughly chew their food, and they should eat cooked fruits and vegetables instead of raw ones to make digestion easier.
Foods that are particularly fibrous, such as broccoli and oranges, are more likely to cause bezoars, so anything that the patient can do to avoid those types of foods should be done. Additionally, low-fat foods are best for most people, but small amounts of fat might be beneficial for people who can tolerate it. Another option is to try soups and pureed foods because they might be easier to swallow and digest. Taking a multivitamin can increase the amount of vitamins that a person actually absorbs, which can deter deficiencies that can lead to other types of diseases. Some doctors also suggest a walk or other types of mild exercise and avoidance of lying down directly after meals.
